syllabic
gb/səlˈæbɪk/ us/səlˈæbɪk/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
technical
C1
property
1
related to syllables
connected with syllables.
Usage pattern:
syllabic + [noun]
Common mistake:
Often confused with syllable (a noun); syllabic is an adjective used before a noun.
Synonyms
syllable-based (Emphasizes that something is organized using syllables.)
|
syllable-related (A general, less technical paraphrase.)
Antonyms
non-syllabic (Not involving syllables or not functioning as a syllable element.)
Collocations
syllabic structure
|syllabic division
|syllabic stress
|syllabic rhythm
|syllabic pattern
|syllabic writing
|syllabic script
|syllabic language
|syllabic segmentation
|syllabic count
Themes
linguistics
|phonetics
|writing
|poetry
Examples
- The teacher asked us to mark the syllabic stress in each word.
- Japanese kana is a syllabic writing system rather than an alphabet.
- The poet chose a syllabic pattern instead of a fixed number of stresses.
Learner examples
- We practiced syllabic stress in new words.
- Kana is a syllabic script.
adjective
technical
C2
property
2
able to form a syllable
(of a sound, usually a consonant) able to be the main sound in a syllable.
Usage pattern:
syllabic + [consonant/sound]
Common mistake:
Learners may think syllabic means “having many syllables”; for that idea, English more often uses multisyllabic.
Synonyms
syllable-forming (A common descriptive equivalent in phonetics.)
|
vocalic (Suggests vowel-like behavior, but is broader and not always identical.)
Antonyms
non-syllabic (Not able to serve as the nucleus of a syllable.)
Collocations
syllabic consonant
|syllabic /l/
|syllabic /n/
|syllabic /r/
|syllabic segment
|syllabic nucleus
|syllabic peak
|syllabic sonorant
|syllabic resonant
|syllabic phoneme
Themes
phonetics
|linguistics
|pronunciation
Examples
- In some accents, the /l/ in “bottle” can be syllabic.
- The analysis treats that final /n/ as syllabic rather than preceded by a vowel.
- Syllabic consonants are common in casual speech and fast pronunciation.
Learner examples
- In “bottle,” the last sound can be syllabic.
- A syllabic consonant can act like a vowel.
Grammar
Dictionary form
syllabic
IPA
GB/səlˈæbɪk/
US/səlˈæbɪk/
Syllables & stress
syl - lab - ic (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (lab)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: syllabic
Expressions
syllabic consonant
1/səlˈæbɪk kˈɑnsənənt/
fixed phrase
technical
consonant that forms a syllable
a consonant that can be the main sound in a syllable.
Examples
- Many speakers use a syllabic consonant in the second syllable of “button.”
- The transcription marks a syllabic consonant with a small vertical line below the symbol.
syllabic metre
1/səlˈæbɪk mˈitɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
poetic meter by syllable count
poetry with a fixed number of syllables in each line.
Examples
- The poem uses syllabic metre, with exactly ten syllables per line.
- Syllabic metre is especially common in some Romance-language traditions.
syllabic structure
1/səlˈæbɪk stɹˈʌkt͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
how syllables are arranged
the pattern of syllables in a word or language.
Examples
- English allows complex syllabic structure with consonant clusters.
- They compared the syllabic structure of loanwords with that of native words.
syllabic writing system
1/səlˈæbɪk ɹˈaɪtɪŋ sˈɪstəm/
fixed phrase
technical
script based on syllables
a script where each symbol stands for a syllable.
Examples
- Kana is often described as a syllabic writing system.
- Some indigenous scripts are syllabic writing systems rather than alphabets.